Rotary engine



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S, J. MADDOX. Rotary Engine.`

N.`243,145. Patented Jun 21,1881.

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Rotary Engine.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL J. MADDOX, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,145, dated June 21, 1881.

Application led October 4, 1880.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL JOHN MADDOX, of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines and it consists in the peculiar form of the valvegear and valves whereby the steam, after doing duty in the cylinder, is forced back into the boiler, as hereinafter set forth. I obtain these results by the use of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is a side elevation, with the cover removed. Fig. II is a sectional side elevation on the line .fr x of Fig. I, one of the pistons being shown in section and the other solid. Fig. III is an outside side elevation. Fig. IV is a detached perspective view of the piston-disk. Fig. V is a detached perspective view of a portion of one side of the center plate, showing the arrangement of the cam-groove; Fig. VI, a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the piston-disk and valves, showing a variation in their method of construction.

A A' are the covers, bolted together to a center plate, B, leaving two open spaces, in which two piston-disks, O C', are journaled on one shaft, D,one piston being set quartering77 to the other, so that one will be taking steam while the other is exhausting-to keep up the application of power to the shaft. 0n opposite sides of the piston-disks `angular notches a a' are cut, in one end of which valves b b' are pivoted, while the other ends of the valves are free to rise and fall in close contact with the curved abutments c c'. Beneath each of these valves b b' the piston-disks are eut away, to form flat tracks cl d' for smallwheeled carriages to travel back and forth upon. These carriages are arranged with four wheels or rollers, c, at the bottom, resting upon the tracks d d', and two rollers, c', at the top, in contact with the under side of the valves b b', and all journaled upon one common frame, g, connected by pivoted levers t' t" to slides h/h, running in straight grooves k lc' in the central section of the piston-disks. These slides h h' are each supplied with friction-rollers h2 h3, adapted to run in a (No mod el.)

cam-groove, m, in the stationary center plate, B, (see Fig. V,) by which the friction-carriages are operated, as hereinafter set forth.

On one side of the stationary covers A A', near the bottom, are spring-valves E E' E2, connected by a conduit, F, to the boiler, its object to be hereinafter explained.

A little to one side, above the piston-disks, valves G G' are arranged, one for each pistondisk, and provided with stems H El' and cranks H2 H3, whose pins run in slots a in-rods MM'. These rods run in hangers N N' on the covers A A', and are supplied with friction-rollers r, adapted to be acted upon by double-sided cams P P', which raise the rods M M' and valves G the slots 'a n,han gers N N', and spring-cases B' R' the rods M M.' are moved in parallel lines.

The valves G G' seat into the cavities in the covers A A', from which ports t t' lead into small cylinders T T', in which rolling valves T2 T3 are journaled on stems T4 T5, and connected by cranks TG T7 to eccentrics TB T9 on the shaft D, by which the valves are oscillated.

Vis the steam-supply pipe, leading from the center on either side into the cylinders T T'. See Figs. I and II.) The rolling valves T2T3 are provided with ports 12H3, so that the steam can 'pass through them, and being arranged to run upon opposite sides of the cylinders T T', the pressure of the steam acting equally on both sides, a perfect #balancing77 is produced, so that very little power is required to oscillate them. By providing the two ports t t the steam will enter through the right-hand ones at the downward strokes of the eccentrics T8 T9 and through the left-hand ones at the upward strokes, thereby requiring but one complete revolution of the shaft D to supply steam to both valves, b b'.

The operation is as follows: Steam, being ad mitted through the valves T2 T3 and ports t t', presses down the valve G, (the eccentrics T8 Tabeing so set that the abutments cc' will be in the position shown in Fig. I when the steam is admitted,) acts upon the abutment c, and revolves the piston-disks C C until the pivoted end of the valve b and main body of the piston-disk pass the valve G, when the latter will be forced up into its seat and the steam cut oft. From the points m to m2 the cam-grooves m are segments of circles parallel with the rims of the piston-disks C C; but from the points m2 to m they dip i toward the shaft D, so that while the rollers h2 h3 are traveling from m to m2 they will remain at the same distance from the shaft, but when the point m2is reached they will be drawn inward, and thus, through the levers i i', run the carriages e e outward along the tracks d d', and raise the valves b b out toward the inside of the covers A A', and thus force the steam ont through the valves E E E2 and conduit F, back into the boiler, thus utilizing it fully. Vhen the rollers h2 h3 have passed the center of the dipping portions ot the cam-grooves m they will be again returned to their former position atm', and run the carriages e c back again, and allow the valves b b to fall back, ready for the next movement of the valves G. As before stated, the two piston-disks C C will be set quartering, so that when the lirst valve, b, ot' the first piston-disk, C, has passed the rst valve, G, and the steam on that side been shut ott', the first valve, b, on the second piston-disk, C', will be just ready to take steam, so that the power is applied to the shaft D continuously. By this arrangement of thc carriages c c the greatest possible amount of friction is avoided, hence little power will be required to operate them, and by returning the steam to the boiler a great saving is obtained and the annoying exhaust-steam avoided.

Fig. VI shows a slight variation in the manner ot` constructing the piston-disks with a circular instead of a square cross-section, and a square instead of an inclined abutment, c.

In using the square abutment it will be necessary to introduce 1ifting-segments b2 underneath the valves b b', to prevent the steam entering behind them but the operation of both forms is substantially the same.

By using the circular disk, packing-rings u may be used, as in ordinary engines.

What I claim as new is- 1. The combination and arrangement of the piston-disks C, having the valves b b', adapted to be thrown outward at every revolution, and the valves E E E2, connected to a conduit, F, leading to the boiler, whereby the steam, after doing duty in the engine, is returned to the boiler, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination and arrangement, with the stationary covers A A' and center plate, B, provided with the cam-groove m m m2, of the revolving piston-disks C C', having grooves 7c k', and the valves b 1)',friction-carriages c e g, levers t' i', slides h h', and friction-rollers h2 h3, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sct my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL JOHN MADDOX.

Witnesses C. N. WooDwARD, LoUIs FEEsER. 

